PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Now that the 2025 harvest has been completed here in California, the weather has turned fairly cold and the vines are moving into a state of dormancy.

At this point in the year there is less sunshine and so the vines stop producing chlorophyll, causing the leaves to lose their green coloration.
As a result, as we see in this week's snapshot, the leaves turn to a reddish/yellow color before they will soon wither and fall off the vine.

Eventually the leaves will turn brown and dry out, falling onto the vineyard soil as the vines prepare for the cold of winter.

Once the leaves have dropped the vineyard crews will consider when to start pruning the vines and cutting them back in order to facilitate a good crop for the upcoming vintage.

We keep hearing how the sky is falling in the world of wine, claiming people are drinking less and young folks are not drinking wine at all.

Mindful of these claims, we notice our shop has a good customer base with a significant percentage of consumers ranging in age from 25 to 35.

Many in the wine world are perplexed by a decrease in demand for wine.

Do you have to be a rocket scientist to notice the price of so many wines is north of $50?
That certainly slows down sales.

Wines which had been $20 a bottle a couple of years ago now are adorned with price tags of $40-$60.
Consumers don't normally continue buying wines which have substantially increased in price in such rapid fashion.

And yet this seems lost on many vintners.

There was a lovely Napa "Bordeaux-styled" red blend in the shop for $39.99.
The winery increased the price to $60 only to encounter resistance from consumers (and me!  I'm a consumer!).
After months of sluggish sales, we once again can offer this bottle for $39.99.

Thank you!


As you likely know if you're a Weimax shopper, we look for good wines at honest prices.
Your wallet will than you.
So will your palate!

Stop by when you're next in the area.

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BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU
In Stock!
Limited Availability.

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We have not sent out a Newsletter since prior to COVID.
And we're still not sending it out as the Postal Service costs a lot and provides poor service.
But you CAN pick up a copy on your next visit to the shop.


Stop by and have a look!

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The impact of President Trump's tariffs are now resulting in price increases of many imported products.
With tax rates of 10% to 20%, it's impossible for the importers and retailers to "eat" the higher pricing.

Some importers with whom we've spoken have mentioned some of their wineries are helping by lowering prices, but not every little winery can make such a sacrifice.

A side impact of the Trump economy is the dollar has lost value in Europe making for two price increases.

The US Dollar has lost about 11%...
Here's a chart:

This past week we received bottles of a favorite, well-priced Champagne.
The importer has routinely offered it at attractive pricing and it's been a stellar value as we offered it for $45/bottle.
We were a bit shocked to see it's jumped significantly and now is on the shelf for $59.99!
The wine is made by a small winery...a family operation with but a few thousand cases annually.
The San Francisco market accounts for a tiny percentage of their annual sales, so why should they cut pricing when other customers are willing to pay their honestly-priced wines?

As always there are some distributors that are raising prices because, well, because they can.
They know everyone else is impacted by the cost of new shipments, so some are taking advantage and asking more for inventory that arrived before the tariffs were in place.

It's easy to tell customers they're forced to ask more because of the tariffs.

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Meanwhile, we were queried early on by the local newspaper for a comment on the tariffs and how they are affecting our business.



We did not see much in the way of panic buying.
But now we are seeing the impact.

One observer commented "these are interesting times."

We'd say "perhaps a bit too interesting!"

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Broadway, Burlingame was profiled in The Almanac at the start of the year.

And we were cited as a landmark business on Broadway.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THAT.




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The San Francisco Chronicle reports Napa Valley wine prices jumped by $17 per bottle this past year!
And if you want to visit wineries in Napa, the fees for a tasting jumped some 35%!!!
The average tasting fee, according to their report, is now $81/per person at a Napa Valley winery.
Tastings in Sonoma are roughly $38 while Paso Robles wineries average $28.

So-called "Reserve" visits in Napa jumped from $99 to $128 this past year.

The average bottle price in Napa is now $108 while a Sonoma bottle typically goes for $57.

In our little wine shop we have numerous good bottles for well less than these silly prices.

Stop by and we can show you some sensibly-priced wines from Napa, Sonoma and everywhere else in the world.


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We were quoted in a late November 2024 article highlighting the wine's of Spain's Rioja region and what good values these can be.
CLICK HERE (Paywall, though)

CLICK HERE

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We enjoyed a nice meal at Cafe Figaro near the shop on Broadway here in Burlingame.
Seared Sea Scallops worked beautifully with La Sibilla's Falanghina ($22.99) from Italy's Campania region.
With some lamb we opened a 2014 Barolo from the venerable Pio Cesare winery in Alba.  It's elegant, medium-bodied and full-flavored...very elegant.
We shared a sip with some customers who were dining there and it got the thumbs up from all.
$89.99...not a bad price!
Beautifully evolved and showing well!

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Ask Jean-Michel Deiss what his Engelgarten wine is made from and he responds not with the names of various Alsatian grapes, but with "Engelgarten"!
Deiss is an early practitioner of biodynamic viticulture and he's a proponent of terroir-centric wines.
The 2022 Engelgarten clearly is Riesling-dominated and what a showy bottle it is.
We opened our bottle at dinner recently at the Broadway Grill.  
$49.99 for the Deiss wine and totally worth its price.
We then opened a Spanish Garnacha that was funky and dirty, so we opened our back-up bottle from the Borsao winery in Spain.
Much better and less expensive!
Smooth, berryish and with a touch of wood.
$17.99.
And it went well with their Mary's Roasted Chicken.


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We like the citrusy, lime-blossom notes in Spottswoode's Sauvignon Blanc.
And it paired perfectly with Young Can Wok's Ha gow and Shrimp.


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We have been in a group of wine-tasters since February of 1974.
We meet once a month and conduct a blind-tasting in hopes of making a discovery, or two.
To celebrate 50 years of tastings, with a handful of original members, we met at the Basque Cultural Center and enjoyed a meal featuring numerous special, well-aged bottles of wines from the era when we started.

I decanted more than half a dozen old reds and was delighted that all but one was in good condition.

I've posted more photos and a few words about the wines on this page:
CLICK HERE

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RANTINGS & RAVINGS
Newly Updated with a recent posting.

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Our Tasting Room is open...Monday through Saturday from mid-day until 6pm.
CLICK HERE TO HAVE A LOOK.

That's Gaby and Norbert, our dear friends from Frankfurt.  Germany.

If you've never tasted a good South African Pinotage, you must check out this one from winemaker Abrie Beeslaar.
Twenty-nine year old head-pruned vines...50% new French oak...what a show-stopper!
Dar red fruits and some well-integrated, cedary oak.
$59.99

From our favorite domaine in the Southern Rhône village of Sablet, the Autran family makes excellent wines which are well-priced.
This is, of course, predominantly Grenache with 20% Syrah.  Beautifully berryish and mildly spicy.
$19.99

From Austria's Kremstal, some 40 miles northwest of Vienna, here's a delightfully crisp, snappy Grüner Veltliner.
It's a non-oaked dry white with the grapefruit peel spiciness we often find in this variety.
$23.99

The 2023 Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara is a delight.
The wine reflects the lovely 2023 vintage and the skill of winemaker Adam Tolmach.

Lots of bright red cherry fruit...light and satisfying served at cool cellar temperature on a warm summer evening.
A good choice for Thanksgiving!
Sale priced at $39.99


The Spanish wine company called Palacios has a Rioja brand called Nivarius and they dabble in a number of varieties.
We were enchanted by this Tempranillo Blanco, a white grape that is a fairly recent mutation of the red Tempranillo.
It was discovered by a grower in the late 1980s and now there are a number of renditions, this one being dry, aromatic and flavorful.
And you can discover this for yourself for a mere $16.99!

A couple of cellar-worthy Barolo bottlings from Oddero just arrived.
We have the 2021 Villero and their 2019 Bussia Mondoca.
Triple-digit pricing...



José Dhondt Blanc de Blancs is an old favorite.
It's entirely Chardonnay and the base wine usually undergoes a secondary, malolactic fermentation.
Dry, of course, and mildly toasty/yeasty.
$69.99

This Italian Sauvignon Blanc from a famous estate in the Trentino region is excellent.
Located less than 20 miles north of Verona, San Leonardo makes a prestigious red Bordeaux blend, but we're fans of their affordable "Vette" Sauvignon Blanc, named after the mountain peaks visible from the organically-farmed vineyard.
The 2024 which just arrived is a shade less pungent on the nose than the previous vintage, but it's still distinctive and delicious.
$27.99

Outpost is a vineyard located in Napa's Howell Mountain area...Cabernet Country!
Their Zinfandel sometimes gets our attention but the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is remarkably good.
Sale price is $135.99.
Dark fruit and some cedary oak.

Some Champagne producers now have acreage in England to make bubbly, but Wiston Estate is British owned.
They're two hours by car south of London.
Soils are largely chalky, so somewhat similar terroir to Champagne in France.
The Blanc de Blancs is made entirely of Chardonnay.  Three to four years on the yeast before disgorgement.  It's showing some green apple fruit and is but faintly yeasty/toasty.
$44.99

We've periodically offered the Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The 2020 is currently in stock...red fruits and some typically spiciness.
$49.99.

The Cluzel brothers have a small winery in the town of Chavanay, a short distance south of the famous Rhône Valley region of Condrieu where benchmark Viognier wines are grown.
Vincent Cluzel launched the winery in 2004 and his brother came on board in 2015.
The 2022 Saint-Joseph is entirely Syrah grown on granitic soils near the winery.
Indigenous yeasts...three weeks of maceration...a touch of French oak.
Mildly spicy and ready to drink now with lamb or duck.

The Cavallotto family make some killer Barolo wines.
The 2019 bottling from their famous Bricco Boschis vineyards is exceptional and definitely cellar-worthy.
It's a traditionally-made Nebbiolo...30+ days of skin contact and 3 years in large, neutral wood.
$124.99

Soalheiro makes several really good Alvarinho wines (Albariño across the border in Spain).
Granit, as you might expect, is a minerally example of this wine, coming from hillside vineyards, while their other bottling comes from valley floor site.
This one is just $29.99 and worth every penny!

We love this wine all year long, but notice some customers have greater interest in this outstanding Lambrusco
when the weather is a bit warmer.
The Zanasi family makes a beautifully dark, frothy Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro that is amazingly
aromatic and deeply flavorful.
There's a hint of sweetness, but that's balanced by high acidity and a touch of tannin.
It's a great accompaniment to pizza or a salumi platter.
$21.99

The Masi winery was the first to make what's now called a Ripasso wine.  Started in 1964 where the winemaker added the grape skins from a batch of Amarone to a tank of Valpolicella, creating a more complex red at a price far less than Amarone.
Others followed.
Masi no longer adds the "pomace" (grape skins) from their Amarone, but actually adds some fresh, dried grapes to what is essentially a normal Valpolicella.
We have the 2021 in stock...sale priced at $17.99.
Delicious and smooth.

The 2024 Dolcetto d'Alba from Elio Altare just landed...Loads of juicy, berryish fruit.
We enjoy this served lightly chilled.
$27.99

The rare Saumur-Champigny from Clos Rougeard is in stock presently...
2019.
This domaine if a reference point for Cabernet Franc and it's a small producer with a large reputation.
Les Poyeux is $250/bottle
Le Bourg is $360/bottle

It's been a while since we opened a bottle of Bob Lindquist's 2019 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay...So we opened one this week and were delighted to find an intense, toasty, mildly smoky Chardonnay that's youthful and full-flavored.
Bob gained fame as the owner and winemaker of the Qupe winery ages ago...
$49.99.

Chappellet's 2022 Napa Valley Merlot won a recent blind-tasting of Merlots...it's deep and dark with lots of black fruits and lovely French oak fragrances and flavors...drinkable now, too.
$69.99

We have several Vinho Verde bottlings...this one called Brisa Suave comes in a liter-sized bottle...classic, simply, faintly fizzy and dry. 
$16.99.

The Sinskey family have been proponents of organic viticulture for many years.
They make a wide range of wines, but we have been fans of their Carneros Pinot Noir.
The 2018 is the current vintage...sale priced at $52.99.

Cain Vineyards sits atop Spring Mountain in Napa.
They've long made a Bordeaux-styled blend called Cain Five, a blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Some vintages have displayed a leathery, horsy character which has been a bit controversial, to say the least.
We tasted the current vintage, the 2021, and it's "clean."  We also compared that to the 2011 and that is also delightfully complex and clean.
We brought in some of the 2011...$149.99 and showing handsomely.

The Fichet family has but 5 hectares of Pinot Noir vines in southern Burgundy and they make a rather nice, light, straightforward red that's immediately drinkable and price-worthy.
Just $24.99!!

A new vintage of Antonella Corda's dry Vermentino from Sardinia hits the spot as both an aperitif wine or a partner for seafood.
She's part of the Argiolas family, but set up her own brand to operate independently.
Her wines are routinely brilliant!
$23.99

We visited winemaker Walter Massa ages ago when nobody knew his Timorasso wine.
Other winemakers took notice of this obscure grape variety and now you can find numerous bottlings.
Many prestigious Langhe-area winemakers have flocked to Tortona in an effort to make their own.
The 2023 Massa is exceptional and it's a benchmark for this grape.
Dry, with notes of pear-like fruit and some minerally tones...
$42.99.

The 2018 Virna Barolo from the "grand cru" site of Cannubi is specially priced.
Normally close to $100, this is $59.99 and it will repay a decade in the cellar quite handsomely.
We enjoyed a bottle the other night, as it's drinkable now.
But this will gain in complexity with bottle aging.

The Revello brothers make good "La Morra" Barolo in Italy's Piemonte region.
Their wines typically display a bit of oak, but this 2021 Barolo seems to focus on the Nebbiolo fruit more than wood.
While Nebbiolo can be rather astringent, the wines of La Morra are usually a shade softer and the Revello winery routinely makes wines that might be described as precocious.
This is beautifully drinkable in its youth and it should continue to grow a bit with bottle aging.
$44.99...well-priced, too!

The Gainey family has been farming in Santa Barbara since the 1960s.
In the 1980s they planted some grapes, but not the typical Burgundian varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir like others, but Bordeaux varieties.
Merlot gets a lot of hang-time, being picked this vintage in late October/early November!
The oak for this wine is rather restrained and there's nice red fruit.
Sale priced at $22.99.

Winemaker Joel Peterson achieved fame (and fortune) as the founding winemaker at Ravenswood, a noteworthy Zinfandel winery.
When that got sold to a big drinks company, Joel bided his time and eventually started making wines again under the brand name of "Once and Future."
Production is much smaller and his wines are often quite good.
We were delighted with the 2022 Mataro which comes from Contra Costa County vineyards.
Old/ancient vines.
Fairly full-bodied and offering some dark berry fruit and a touch of spice.
$26.99.

The new vintage from Wrath of their two clone Pinot Noir is delicious!
The shy-bearing Swan clone yields nicely intense Pinot aromas and flavors...the other, Clone 828, is a "suitcase" variety having been brought in to the US from France, directly from Burgundy.
Wrath employs a healthy percentage of new French oak for this wine, adding the lovely wood spice to its cherryish Pinot fruit.
$31.99

The 2024 vintage of Velenosi's delightful Pecorino is as delicious as was the 2023.
From Italy's Marche region, this family makes some seriously good wines.
You might guess it to be a Sauvignon Blanc is tasted "blind," but in addition to some citrusy notes, there's a touch of a pineapple spice here as well.
It's a great aperitif and pairs handsomely with seafood and salads.

A new producer for us, Sautereau's Sancerre comes from parcels on three different soil types.
The winery is not new, though...run by the tenth generation of the Sautereau family.
No oak...bone dry and mildly crisp with  a hint of papaya and citrus.
$31.99

We have been fans of the Bianchi family wines at Monsanto in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany.
I purchased a bottle of the 2020 which was "good," but we waited to see how the 2021 is showing and it's seriously good!
Deeper and a tad more robust, but not heavy...
It's 90% Sangiovese with the balance split between Canaiolo and Colorino.
They use a bit of oak, but not small barrels for this.
$37.99.

The 2022 Titus Cabernet is an impressive bottle!
Dark fruit and some sweet oak elements make for a showy red.
Sale price is $54.99 (it's $68 at the winery in Napa).

The family at I Favati routinely make elite wines in Italy's Campania region, yet they fly a bit under the radar of all but the most savvy consumers.
Both reds and whites are terrific.
The new vintage of their Greco di Tufo is a bone dry, crisp, stony white wine.  Great as an aperitif and it's perfect with seafood and salads.
$28.99

Few winedrinkers appreciate Sauternes or Late-Harvest Rieslings and even those savvy consumers are unlikely to be familiar with the wines of the southwest France region of Jurançon.
It's a remarkable terroir and most of the vineyards are perched on terraced hillsides.
Clos Guirouilh makes a classic sweet wine that's a blend of Gros Manseng and Petite Manseng.
The bunches are left on the vine to shrivel and increase the level of sugar in the grapes, with maybe five passes through the vineyard to pick at the optimum time.
This is a great alternative to good Sauternes and it's well-priced at $35.99 (750ml).



The Grignolino grape takes a backseat to Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo in Italy's Piemonte, but it does make a cool dry red.
It lacks color and makes for a lighter red with snappy acidity, so it's not for everyone.
Served lightly chilled, though, it's a charming red to pair with pizza, lasagna, sausages and some seafood dishes.
$25.99 for the 2024 vintage.

Freire Lobo 2024 Dão, a magnificent dry white from Portugal...
The grapes are Encruzado, Bical and Cerceal.
Beautifully aromatic and dry...no oak.
Please give this a try in place of inexpensive Chardonnay or watery Pinot Grigio.
$14.99.
You will be pleasantly surprised.  I promise!

The just-released 2023 vintage of Stephen Ross Pinot Noir is a great buy...It's a three vineyard blend from the Central Coast.  Classic Pinot fruit with cherryish notes and the wine is supple and beautifully drinkable now...$29.99.

The dynamite 2024 Rosato from Italy's Puglia region is back in stock.
Li Veli winery.  Susumaniello is the grape.
It's dry and berryish.
$26.99

Italy's first "Super Tuscan" was Antinori's famed Tignanello, a blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet that was matured in small French oak barrels.
This spawned many similar blends and today numerous wineries make a Super Tuscan, hoping to cash in on that category of $100+ red wines.

This comes from a relatively new winery, a collaboration of the Chianti Classico winery of Castellare and the Bordeaux estate of Château Lafite Rothschild.
The winery is called Rocca di Frassinello.
They make an expensive bottle of Merlot costing about $200 which we've never found to be impressive.
On the other hand, this Sangioveto/Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend hits the mark beautifully and, even better, it doesn't cost a fortune.
$26.99!
Showing well now, too.
It's currently not displayed in the shop, but if you want a bottle, please ask...


The Toreta "Posip" is back in stock!  2024 Vintage.
It's a dry, light, crisp white from Croatia...the island of Korcula to be precise.
$18.99.

Château de Trinquevedel is highly-regarded for its lovely Tavel Rosé.
Grenache-based but with some other southern Rhône varieties, the Tavel appellation does not produce red or white wine, solely Rosé.
$19.99.

From Spain's Getaria wine region we have this light, crisp, dry white wine made of the white Hondarrabi Zuri and the red Hondarrabi Beltza.
It's fermented at low temps in hopes of retaining just a touch of spritziness in the wine.
We often bring a bottle to the nearby Basque Cultural Center (restaurant) as it beautifully sets up a woodsy Spanish red (or French) as the contrast is striking.
The new 2023 vintage is just $22.99.

We were not delighted with the Montepulciano from the Amorotti winery, so we initially shied away from tasting this Trebbiano.
A friend insisted we taste it and we were delighted to find such a soulful Italian white.
Keep in mind this is Trebbiano Abruzzese, not the simple plonk of so many Trebbiano wines.
Amorotti's neighbor, the famous Valentini winery, makes a benchmark bottling which usually goes for $200.
This one at $54.99 is a deal.
You have to experience it to fully understand.

We look for wines which over-perform for their prices and can't say this Eisele Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is a bargain at $135/bottle.
But it is sooooo good we had to bring in another vintage.
We're fans of Château d'Yquem's dry white called simply "Y."
That goes for about $250 and it's sublime.
The Eisele Sauvignon is close to its equal.

This simple Muscadet from France's Loire Valley is a delight.
Dry, of course and made without the use of an oak barrel, at $11.99, this is a lovely little aperitif white or, even better, a partner for seafood.
It has more fruit on the nose than standard bottlings of Muscadet and we find it superior to many far more expensive renditions of the
Melon de Bourgogne grape.

Yeah, it's a bit of splurge at $219.99 for a bottle, but you're getting a hugely memorable red Bordeaux from a really good estate in Pauillac.
It's 78% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest being Merlot.
A hefty percentage of new oak barrels adds tremendous complexity to this steak-worthy red.


We taste a lot of Chenin Blanc wines from various wineries here in California.
Many come from grapes grown in Clarksburg, a region of limited potential and yet many of the wines carry price tags which exceed the quality of the wines.
This French bottling, from the Loire Valley where Chenin Blanc has its home, is not a profound or particularly complex dry white.
But it is quite drinkable and it's affordable, going for $15.99 per bottle.
Crisp, mildly appley and made without an oak barrel, this was a delight recently paired with fried calamari.

Pojer & Sandri grow and vinify a dynamite dry white of their local Nosiola grape.
It's non-oaked and totally dry.
People often ask for that "Chablis-like Italian wine whose name I can't remember."
The wine is memorable, even if the name is not.
$21.99

We periodically have the Luberon wines of Château La Canorgue from the southern Rhône in France.
The 2024 White is a delight...aromatic with notes of melon and peach, while the red is berryish and medium-bodied.
$19.99

The 2022 Soter Pinot Noir was the first place wine in a recent blind-tasting of Willamette Valley Pinots.
It's got a lush texture and classic Pinot Noir fruit.
$54.99.

The 2021 Barolo from the Gaja family is now in the shop.
Sale-tagged at $129.99 and while it has good aging potential, it's beautifully balanced and certainly approachable now.


We noticed a local distributor still had a 2012 Chardonnay from the famous Craggy Range winery in New Zealand, so we purchased a bottle.
It's amazingly good and quite alive and kicking, with lovely leesy, toasty notes.
$23.99

Nebbiolo fans have enjoyed this well-priced bottle from Italy's Valtellina region.
The 2023 "Botonero" from the Mamete Prevostini wine is just $23.99.
It's a lovely, immediately drinkable alpine Nebbiolo...a shorter maceration than Piemontese Nebbiolo wines translates to lower tannin levels.


A young fellow named Kevin Bouillet is creating a stir in France's Jura region with a dynamite rendition of Savagnin.
It's called "Ouillé" and he matures this for about 2 years in small oak barrels, but it's a non-oxidative wine as he tops up the barrels regularly.
$39.99.
This is a rarity and Bouillet's wines are much sought-after.

Here's a rather delightful Sonoma Pinot Noir...winery price is $70.
We have it sale-tagged at just $39.99.
Several clones of Pinot Noir and some French oak make for a nicely complex and ready-to-drink red.

From Corsica we just brought in a delicious medium-full bodied red wine made of the Nielluccio grape.
This is the flagship red variety on Corsica and it's generally thought to be Sangiovese or a close relative to Italy's Sangiovese.
The Fornelli winery is a small producer and this bottling is said to have something like 5% of another local red variety, this one being called Minustellu.
Blackberry notes on the nose and palate make for a delicious bottle.
$26.99

Winemaker Sylvia Altare routinely captures the youthful exuberance of Piemonte's Dolcetto grape.
Dark in color and brimming with red and black fruits, this is a chillable red that's rather full bodied.
$24.99.

We had not had a Gavi in the shop for maybe a decade.
This is a Piemontese white made of the Italian grape called Cortese and it's a brilliant rendition!
A hint of citrus and a maybe a white flower sort of fragrance.  Dry and made without oak, so you may find some stony, minerally notes.
$22.99
A woman called to ask if we had a particular Gavi in the shop and we mentioned having this outstanding wine.
She came to get one and as she was here another customer arrived asking for this wine specifically, saying he bought one the week before and it was so good, they wanted two more!
Talk about timing.

The Storrs family remains a dynamite producer of below-the-radar wines.
Barrel-fermented Chardonnay with a touch of a creamy quality to add complexity to this classic dry white, this remains a good value, too.
$28.99

The famous Port house of Quinta do Noval has an excellent Douro Valley red made from Touriga Nacional.
Ten days of skin contact and then full malolactic in tank before being racked into French oak.
There's beautiful dark fruit notes from the Touriga and a light touch of a cedary tone from the wood aging.
It's a 2020 vintage and is quite enticing presently, though it may cellar well for another 5 to 10 years.
$49.99

The back-story of the name "Four Dimes," a most curious brand for a Napa Cabernet stems from the discovery of one of the owners that money was actually used to purchase goods.  As a kid she was surprised that a few coins, like 4 dimes, could be used to buy treats such as a candy bar.
At least that's the legend of this wine.
It's made by a prominent winemaker and the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nearly 2 years in French oak give the wine a delightful woodsy element and it's reasonably gentle on the palate.
These days those four "dimes" translate to something like four Jacksons, as this goes for $40.

In the world of "skin contact" white wines, often called "orange wines," we've just brought in the 2024 Pinot Gris from the Union Sacré winery in California's Central Coast region.  The "white" grape of Pinot Gris does have some pigment in its skins and leaving those with the juice can produce a pinkish-colored wine.
This is a delight whether you consider it a Rosé, an "orange wine" or simply a white wine...
Sale price is $17.99 as these fellows don't sock it to you as do many artisan vintners pricing their wines based more on scarcity than on quality.

From Spain's Ribera del Duero, an expensive neighborhood, comes this youthful Tempranillo which spent 4 months in small oak.
Less than 5 miles from Vega Siclia, a legendary winery, this is a medium-bodied red with some plum and cherry-like fruit and a hint of wood.
And it's just $19.99!

The Lonardi family have a small trattoria in the town of Marano di Valpolicella and that simple dining spot was the primary outlet for their wine.
As the winery has expanded to all of maybe 7 hectares they make more wine than they can pour at the restaurant.
We visited some years ago and found their Amarone to be of interest.
The 2016 is $59.99.

The 2003 Warre's Vintage Porto is showing beautifully.
Best decanted, of course.
$84.99.

Experts will tell you the Cooper Vineyard is the top site for Barbera in Amador County.
Jeff Runquist makes a terrific red, easily comparable to good Piemontese Barbera bottlings.
Dark color and intense berry fruit with a nice bit of oak...full-bodied.
$34.99

The 2024 Salvard Cheverny just arrived...Sauvignon Blanc (mostly) from France's Loire Valley.
Beautifully aromatic and dry.
$19.99.


We enjoyed a taste of the 2020 Clos Apalta, a deluxe bottling from Chile.
It's predominantly Carmenere with 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot.
Matured in a high percentage of new French oak, this is showing well now and can be cellared another ten to twenty years.
Sale price is $134.99.


The Palladino family makes traditionally-styled Piemontese wines and we've featured their 2015 and 2019 vintages of their Barolo del Commune di Serralunga.
The 2020 is now in the shop, perhaps a tad rounder than the 2019, but still quite good and well worth its $49.99 sale price.

If you never have enjoyed a red wine made of the German Dornfelder grape, this new release from the Binz family winery is a delicious bottle.
Dornfelder is a crossing of a couple of other grape varieties with the idea of having a German red wine that would have deeper color than the wines being made in the 1960s and 1970s.
Dornfelder really got launched in the early 1980s and these days it's a fairly prominent German red.
Binz makes a wine reminiscent of Beaujolais with loads of red berry aromas and flavors.
Its modest $15.99 pricing makes it taste even better!

The 2022 Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape is showing well presently and it's only going to improve as it develops in the bottle.
Grenache accounts for roughly 65% of the blend with 20% Syrah and small amounts of the usual suspects.

The 2023 Lagrein from Elena Walch arrived recently, having made the cut yet again.
This is a medium-bodied, gentle red with some black cherry and mildly plummy fruits.  Though it spends a brief time in wood, oak is not noticeable here.
$26.99

From Italy's Sardinia there's a stellar new vintage of Vermentino from the Chessa winery...
West coast of Sardegna...remarkably aromatic with great citrus and spice notes.  No oak.  Bone dry.
Perfect as a cocktail white or paired with seafood.
$27.99

We had a flight of pretty good Côtes du Rhône reds and this wine from Beaurenard was my top selection.
Fairly dark in color and full-bodied, this had a particularly distinctive character...I asked the tasters to take a second sniff and I would give them an adjective:
Eucalyptus.
"Yes!  Damn!!  That's it."
$24.99.
Good wine and a good price for this caliber of French red.

The 2023 vintage of Petite Arvine from the Grosjean Family in Italy's Valle d'Aosta is a delightfully dry, crisp, minerally white.
We've now had this wine for many vintages.  $31.99.


We know very few winedrinkers bother with Marsala from Italy's Sicily.
Pity.
There are some bottlings intended for drinking, not cooking.
This bottling from the Florio winery in the town of Marsala is such a wine...very bit as complex as good Sherry or Port.
It's drier than most Ports, though, and quite complex with nutty nuances and some dried fruit notes.
$74.99

The first bottling of Baldi Pain Champagne went quickly...a few bottles of a new batch just landed.
$84.99 for a bone dry, Grand Cru Champagne that's 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.
Toasty, yeasty and complex.
Well-priced for this quality...$84.99.

From the Domaine d'Ardhuy we brought in a superb white Burgundy from the Savigny Lès Beaune appellation.
Clos des Godeaux.
Mildly toasty and dry, of course.
This compares well to far more costly Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet wines.
$44.99.

How about a splurge?
1985 Château Margaux.
Sale priced at $829.99.

Lake County, Mendocino, Lodi and Sonoma are sourced by Lang & Reed to produce their Cabernet Franc.
It's 100% Cab Franc which is matured for a year and a half in French oak.
This winery has pioneered Cabernet Franc and they continue to offer a good wine at a reasonable price.
$27.99

If you like good German Riesling, please consider getting a bottle of Karp Schreiber's 2023 Kabinett Riesling.
Brauneberger Juffer is the site in the Mosel for this crisp, slightly sweet, beautifully balanced wine.
$19.99.

If you've been a fan of the wines of Ridge Vineyards, then you've tasted the work of winemaker Eric Baugher.
He and another Ridge alum launched the Deauratus winery and we have three different bottlings in the shop.
Their Dry Creek Zinfandel is exceptional, elegant, berryish and beautifully spicy.
$37.99.
We also have a Grenache Blanc and a Paso Robles Cabernet of note.
The Zin and Cabernet are available for tasting presently.

The Auntsfield property was devoted to vineyards back in the late 1800s and the Cowley family has replanted its Marlborough holdings with vines.
The second generation, Ben and Luc Cowley, produce terrific Sauvignon Blanc.
And why not?  They are situated in close proximity to the famous Cloudy Bay winery and Greywacke, the latter owned by winemaker Kevin Judd who put New Zealand on the wine map with more than two decades of working at Cloudy Bay.
The 2024 Auntsfield is delicious and just $21.99 per bottle.

The 2024 vintage of Garzon Albariño made the cut here, a brilliant dry white from Uruguay.
It's fresh, nicely aromatic with all sorts of fruit notes and you'll find it to be dry, but smooth.
$19.99.

Many California and Oregon Pinot Noir producers seek to emulate good French red Burgundy and some do a great job, but typically costing more than this benchmark from the famous village of Pommard.
Domaine Michel Rebourgeon offers "Cuvée William" in honor of their son who's now involved in the family business.
It's an exceptional value at $59.99...matured in brand new French oak, too!

The Fontareche winery is located within the Corbières appellation in the south of France where we periodically find a wine that makes the cut.
This is a delightful blend of the inky red wine of Alicante Bouschet blended with a bit of Carignan that was fermented along the lines of Beaujolais.
Beautifully aromatic with berry fruits...just $16.99!

From a small, family-operated domaine in the southern part of Champagne, this regions, "Les Riceys," is quite famous for its Rosé wine.
They leave the skins of the Pinot Noir in contact with the juice for 2 or 3 days and make a beautifully dry, crisp Brut Rosé.
Sale priced at $49.99.
(Valentine's Day is on the horizon, by the way!)

Poggerino's 2022 Chianti was the First Place finisher in our recent blind-tasting of Chianti Classico wines which included recent vintages of Rampolla, Isole e Olena, Felsina, Brancaia and three others.  The wine is unusually intense for a Sangiovese, but we know winemaker Piero Lanza cultivates his vineyards for quality, not quantity.
Even more impressive:  This was the least expensive bottle in the tasting!
We opened a bottle with a Pizza from Centro up the street from the store...very impressive!

Just $29.99.

When we tasted this 2023 Timorasso we observed that the winemaker, our dear friend Luca Currado-Vietti, had clearly been influenced
by his visits to winemaking friends in France's Burgundy region.
He smiled at this assessment of this brand new vintage of Piemontese white wine, made of Timorasso grapes grown near Tortona.
It's got the minerality of a good White Burgundy and a subtle complexity that is quite enchanting.
$53.99

Most Spanish Cava comes from the Penedes region near Barcelona.
Not this one!
It's from an area southeast of Madrid, but it's made of the usual suspects:
Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, aged about a year on the spent yeast, allowing the tangerine-like aromas to shine.
It's quite dry, too.
$17.99.

The 2021 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet is, as usual, a delight.
Plummy notes with some dark berry fruit and a nice bit of sweet, exotic oak make for a most attractive Cabernet.
The tannin level is modest, but a good steak will tame the mild astringency.
$59.99.

Some new vintages made the cut here from the Meyer Family winery in Mendocino.
The Meyers were founding partners in the Silver Oak winery.
Their 2023 Chardonnay is excellent!
It's from Mendocino's Anderson Valley...made along the lines of a good French white Burgundy, so you'll find some stony notes and toasty, leesy elements here.
$32.99.  Well-priced.
Their 2019 Syrah is gorgeous, too.  $29.99

The newly-arrived 2022 vintage of Dry Tokaji from Bodog is a winner.
Give this a try in place of a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
It's just $18.99! 
70% Furmint and 30% Hárslevelü.
Rather low in alcohol...12.6%.

It's rare that we encounter a red wine from the Macon region in France's Burgundy, but we tasting this 2023 from the Domaine Coteaux des Margots and found it to be quite appealing.  It's made of Gamay, not Pinot Noir.  Medium-bodied and mildly berryish, but less overtly fruity than many of our Beaujolais selections.
$24.99.


Romaneira is an old vineyard property but a rather new winery enterprise headed by Christian Seely, who also has his hands in Château Pichon Baron, Suduiraut in Sauternes, Quinta do Noval, another Douro Valley Port producer as well as Disznokõ in Hungary.
The 2019 Vintage Porto from Romaneira is a robust, full-bodied wine with plenty of fruit and a moderate level of tannin.
It's well-priced, too, thanks to a opportune purchase.  Just $59.99.


The Venturini family produces numerous really good red wines and their entry-level Valpolicella is an excellent, overtly fruity bottle that's best served lightly cooled to cellar temperature.  It's somewhat akin to a good French Beaujolais, having plenty of red berry fruit on the nose and palate.
The 2023 is now in the shop.
Best in its youth...$20.99.

Some excellent Red Burgundies rolled in this week...Michel Gros 2022 Premier Cru, a Vosne-Romanée "Clos des Réas" is sale-tagged at $199.99.
There's a Clos St. Marc from Patrice Rion..."only" a Premier Cru wine, but it has Grand Cru pedigree.

The 2022 Gewürztraminer from Claiborne & Churchill is a delight, successfully capturing the rose petal and lychee character of this exotic grape.
Quite dry, too, so don't tell us you don't like Gewürztraminer because they are too sweet.
This has but 0.2% residual sugar...most people are not sensitive to sweetness in wine until you hit 0.5%.
Sale $18.99.

There's Valpolicella and then there's Romano Dal Forno's Valpolicella.
Most Valpolicella wines are care-free, light, fruity reds...but this fellow makes one that's akin to top Rioja, Bordeaux or Napa Cabernet.
Lavishly-oaked and full-bodied, this is too noble for pizza, but better paired with a steak or prime rib roast.
$149.99

The Elvio Cogno winery is the reference point for the Nascetta white wine from Italy's Piemonte region.
This is the only indigenous white grape in the Langhe region.
Half fermented in stainless steel and half in smallish Slavonian oak...bone dry...quite good.
2023 vintage.  $36.99.

We were quoted in the Wall Street Journal at the tail end of November in an article about Rioja wines.
The Viña Alberdi is the poster child for good value in red wine in general and Rioja specifically.
Sale priced at $25.99, this displays the classic woodsy fragrances and flavors of American oak aged Tempranillo.
And you can't beat the price!

From Mendocino County we now have a stack of Brutocao Chardonnay.
This is easily worth its modest price tag of $16.99.
Nice balance of wood and fruit as it's lightly oaked.
(And it's nicely balance in terms of price/quality.)

Sandro Fay is a small winery in Italy's Valtellina and we're fans of their Ca' Morei bottling.
Nebbiolo, or Chiavennasca as they call it in that region of Lombardia.
We have the 2019...just $39.99.
Best to decant this an hour ahead of service.

Aldo Conterno's family continues to make exceptional wines.
We have the 2021 Barbera d'Alba, a wine from the southern part of the Barolo region near Monforte d'Alba.
Lots of dark fruit notes here.
$39.99.

The youthfully exuberant Sangiovese from Tuscany's Piazzano winery is a good match for a pizza.
The winery is located in western Tuscany, not too far Empoli, southwest of Florence.
It's roughly 85% Sangiovese with Canaiolo and Malvasia Nera.
$14.99!


We've seen an up-tick in sales of Turkish wines...the Pasaeli winery makes good reds and this one is produced entirely of the Karasakiz grape.
Matured for 8 months in French oak...good red fruit aromas and flavors.
Only 85 cases were made.
$26.99

The 2020 Riserva Chianti Classico from our friend Giampaolo Chiettini is back in stock...remarkably complex and showing handsomely!
This comes from a small parcel of vines near Firenze.
$44.99

The 2022 Nebbiolo Langhe from our friends at the Filippo Gallino winery just arrived.
Medium-bodied, mildly tannic Nebbiolo from a venerable winery in the Roero region across the river from Barbaresco.
Just $19.99/ bottle

The 2016 Gravonia comes from 90+ year old vines and it's made entirely on the Viura grape.
It's fermented in large vats before going into small American oak barrels.
Lopez Heredia builds its own barrels, by the way.  After several years in wood, it's bottled and given several more years before they ship it.
This 2016 is just being released now and we have but a few bottles.
$49.99.

Cuvée Françoise Blanquette de Limoux is an elegant and nicely balanced, bottle fermented sparkling wine from a region in southern France that was making sparkling wines a century before Champagne was making bubblies.
This is made of the Mauzac grape, a variety particular to the Limoux region.
Just $19.99!

This highly-regarded Italian red comes from a (now) famous winery in Italy's Campania region.
It's half Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Aglianico and 20% Merlot, matured in small French oak barrels, but the wood is not new, so the oak is nicely integrated and in the background.  2019 Montevetrano.
Sale priced at $84.99.

There are not many wines costing north of $200/bottle that we find to be "good values," but this 2011 Castillo Ygay gets a big 'thumbs up' from us.
We had fallen off the Marques de Murrieta bandwagon some years ago, as they changed their barrel aging program and the wine was not as good, in our view, as what we had come to love going back to the 1960s and 1970s.
It had been getting good reviews as some critics seem to judge some wines by their price tags and not what's in the glass.
The 2011 we opened a month ago was shockingly good and we've bought this in to share with customers who are interested in such a damned good bottle, despite its elevated price.
Compared to many Napa Cabernets and top Bordeaux, this is a deal.
Sale price is $219.99.

Perhaps you know the Champagnes of Jacquesson?
The house is quite old, founded in 1798.  It was purchased by the Chiquet family in 1974.
Their vineyards are organically farmed and they don't make much, aiming for quality over quantity.
The bottlings are numbered, starting with "728" some years ago.  Now we have the 747, a wine from the 2019 harvest.
The fruit comes from 6 vineyard sites.  Quite dry.  The juice is fermented in wood and they don't clarify or filter the wine.
Disgorged in November of 2023.
$81.99/bottle
Don't miss this if you're a Champagne aficionado.
And even if you're not...

The 2023 Ciù Ciù Pecorino is a terrific Italian dry white from the Marche region.
This displays lovely melon/peach notes...no oak.  Dry and yet smooth.
$18.99

You rarely encounter a red Vinho Verde, but here's a deliciously chillable example (in a liter bottle)
for only $19.99.
It's called Explosivo and the wine is made entirely of Vinhão (or maybe it's Sezão).
No oak...if you enjoy Beaujolais or Dolcetto, give this a go.

The stellar 2019 Barolo "Albe" from the Vajra family just arrived.
Alba is the Italian word for sunrise and this comes from three sites with each seeing the sun at a different time, hence the word Albe, plural for Alba.
It's routinely one of the best buys from Piemonte's Barolo appellation.  Maybe double that with this vintage!
Sale price is just $39.99.
Don't miss it!

Antinori's 2021 Marchese Antinori is a special bottling of internationally-styled Chianti Classico, being predominantly Sangiovese but it's blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and then matured in small French and Hungarian oak barrels.
The fruit, they claim, comes from their Tignanello property in the northern part of the Chianti Classico region.
Typically retailing for $50-$60, a special purchase allows us to offer this for a sale price of $44.99.
Limited to stock on hand, but we think we can re-order if necessary.

Lone Madrone is a smallish winery in Paso Robles and its owner/winemaker works at the famed Tablas Creek winery and moonlights with his own production.
The Dodd family, sixth generation these days, provides fruit for this interesting blend:  Tannat, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
It's a robust red with a lovely woodsy character.
We thought it was pretty good for its just-under $40 pricing (It's about $50 from Lone Madrone).
But at $29.99, this is a real bargain.

The Angst family embarked on their wine adventure in 2009 when viticulturist Antoine Angst and his pharmacist wife Céline took the plunge and made their first wines.  Today these have roughly 8 hectares of Chablis-area vines and we've tasted several bottlings from several vintages.
This comes from the Premier Cru site of Fourchaume.
$44.99.
Mildly appley and lightly stony/minerally.

Herman Story 2022 "Nuts & Bolts" is a four vineyard, Central Coast Syrah that's a pedal-to-the-metal California red.
There is nothing subtle about this bruiser.
$64.99
We also have the 2021 Bien Nacido Syrah ($74.99).





Not fortifying their Sangiovese as do many Chianti producers, the Peterson family makes a terrific Sonoma red from Dry Creek Valley vineyards.
It's entirely Sangiovese from two vineyard sites...and it gives good Chianti wines a run for the money.

Arietta's 2021 "Quartet" is delicious!
It's 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance being Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
It spent 20 months in French oak with a modest percentage of the cooperage being brand new.
We like the balance of dark fruit notes and the woodsy tones from the oak.
$89.99.

From the western Loire Valley in France where the white wine called Muscadet is made comes this lovely, medium-bodied Cabernet Franc which resembles a good Chinon, but far less costly.
A chillable red...just $11.99!

Douloufakis 2023 Vidiano, a Greek white from the island of Crete...this Vidiano grape was nearly extinct and now there are several wineries making it.
This one is well-priced at $19.99.
The Greek fellow who makes this graduated from the wine school in Piemonte which educates so many young Barolo producers.

This was a nice match for Cafe Figaro's fried calamari.

Kir Yianni's Xinomavro, a terrific Greek red, carries the name Ramnista.
The 2019 is now in stock, one of our favorite Greek reds.  It's actually reminiscent of good Piemontese Nebbiolo.
The vines were planted in 1970.  It's matured in small oak barrels but you won't find much wood fragrance or flavor.
Perfect with well-seasoned lamb.
$33.99

Casa Setaro makes a very good example of Falanghina from volcanic soils in Italy's Campania...grown on Mount Vesuvio, this is a non-oaked dry white  that shows both the grape variety and it's volcanic origins.
$22.99.

We brought in a couple of terrific wines from Sonoma's Miro winery.
This guy makes terrific reds and his Petite Sirah has routinely been given the thumbs up here.
The 2022 vintage, $38 at the winery, is sale-priced at $26.99.
Medium-full bodied and with dark fruits and a hint of spice...



A few bottles of Etienne Sauzet 2022 Puligny-Montrachet are in stock...as we were prepping these for sale, someone saw the bottles on the counter and grabbed a couple of them.
Sale price is $109.99.





The 2021 "Crane Assembly" winery makes a delicious red blend called Disciples.
It's a blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah.
It's the recipe for Dave Phinney's famous red called The Prisoner, though this one is made from Napa fruit and it's not sweet.
The wine is high-octane though, but you don't sense it's so potent until you stand up from the dinner table.
Less costly than the current Prisoner wine and significantly superior.
$49.99.

We purchased a bottle of Buehler's 2021 Napa Cabernet...darned good and, thankfully, honestly priced.
$39.99 before the case discount.
Smooth, nicely oaked with some dark fruit notes.

The 2023 Bardolino from Le Fraghe is in...a perfect chillable red for warm weather drinking.
You likely know Valpolicella reds...this comes from a neighboring area along the shores of Lake Garda.
Corvina and Rondinella are the grapes...Comparable to good cru Beaujolais.
$21.99

Domaine des Crêtes---a cool white from Switzerland!
Petite Arvine, Savagnin and Marsanne...very fine, mildly stony and bone dry.
Only a few bottles available.
$49.99

We brought in several "cru" bottlings from the Vietti's 2020 vintage.
These are sale-priced at $244.99.

Trebbiano Spoletino is usually quite distinctively different from most other varieties of Trebbiano.
Bocale's 2023, made by the Valentini family in Italy's Umbria region, offers some citrusy notes with a touch of peach, perhaps.
No oak.  Remarkably good for a wine of this price.
Just $21.99.

The famous Barolo producer, Francesco Rinaldi, still makes Grignolino, a simple little red that is off-the-radar these days.
It comes from a one hectare vineyard site near Asti in Montaldo Scarampi (which is as fun to say as this wine is to drink!).
No oak...light reddish color...this shows some pomegranate-like fruit and zesty acidity...This can pair with seafood, pastas and mildly-seasoned meats.
Best lightly chilled.
$23.99

Danish-born winemaker Steffan Jorgensen worked in Washington State before moving to Chile where he makes some rather nice reds.
We especially enjoy his blended red featuring Carménère with some Syrah and Malbec.
It's a medium-full bodied red with dark fruits and a bit of oak.
$17.99 makes it a bargain!

Dirk Niepoort's Vinho Verde from the 2023 vintage rolled in this week.
It's different from the Soalheiro Vinho Verdes we've had for many vintages in that this is not made of Alvarinho, but of the Loureiro grape.
No oak...bone dry...crisp and perfect as an aperitif or seafood white.
$18.99

From northeast Italy we have a couple of great white wines made by the Vie di Romans winery.
The Friulano is a benchmark example of the grape formerly known as Tocai Friulano.
Dry and exotically fragrant...$49.99.
There's also a blended white featuring the Malvasia Istriana grape with Friulano and some Rhein Riesling.  Dry and aromatic.
That goes for $44.99.

  
The new vintage of Li Veli's Susumaniello came in this week...thumbs up again!
Dark fruit and a hint of spice...perfect for your lasagna feast or sausage festival!
$26.99

We have a growing number of customers looking for good Sherry & Manzanilla wines.
Solear is a well-regarded "Fino," but it comes from a region called Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a place closer to the sea than Jerez.
So it's a dry Manzanilla akin to a good Fino Sherry.
We have it in half bottles...$12.99.
All you need is a chilled bottle, some Marcona Almonds, Jamón Iberico and some savory olives stuffed with anchovies.

The Alto Adige sub-region of the Valle Isarco is a bit cooler and you'll find some delicious dry whites.
One of the very best is from the Pliger family's Kuenhof winery.
Their Kaiton Riesling features a number of clones and it's grown on a minerally terroir including schist, quartz and more.
The Kaiton Riesling can age handsomely but this 2021 is already showing some petrol notes along with a lime and flower character.
$44.99

Italy's Alto Piemonte used to have more vineyard land the the Langhe where you'll find Barolo and Barbaresco.
The region is experiencing a small renaissance and you'll find good Nebbiolo wines in the Gattinara and Ghemme appellations.
The Brigatti family has a small production a few miles east of those two famed areas.
Mötziflon is a famous hillside vineyard, mostly planted to Nebbiolo.
The 2018 is old-school Nebbiolo...needs an hour or two in a decanter.
$32.99

Big Table Farm has been a "fashionable" Oregon winery for a number of vintages, but we've been slow to get on that train.
The wines are usually "good," but this 2022 vintage of Chardonnay nails it nicely, being the first bottling we've brought in to the shop.
Good appley Chardonnay fruit and a mildly woodsy note...$35.99 makes it a reasonably-priced bottle, too.

The 2022 Chappellet Mountain Cuvée just arrived after getting the thumbs up from us.
This vintage strikes us as a bit beefier than the lovely 2021 and it's got a bit of tannin.
Cabernet dominated with other Bordeaux blending grapes, the winery has increased the price for this,
but we've left it sale-tagged at $49.99 for the time being.

We brought in more of the 2013 vintage of Cosimo Taurino's famed Salice Salentino Riserva from Italy's Puglia region.
Mostly Negroamaro with maybe 10% Malvasia Nera...aged in seasoned oak barrels and then for an extended time in bottle, affording
consumers the opportunity to enjoy a properly aged red for a most sensible price:  $23.99.

The Cochon "Whole Hog" red blend has been routinely a favorite here at Weimax.
This is a Rhône-styled blend, this vintage featuring 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache,  10% Mourvèdre, 7% Carignane, 2% Cinsault and the rest is Viognier.
From the 2022 vintage, this seems to have a bit more body and a touch more tannin than its predecessors.
Give it a splash in a decanter, opening the bottle maybe an hour ahead of time.
(The winery retails this for $40+/bottle...we sale tag this at $22.99.)

The 2020 Monte Bello from Ridge is a controversial wine as it's from a year when there were wildfires.
We have tasted quite a few Cabernets from 2020 and we've not been sensitive to smoke taint in these wines, including this bottling from Ridge.
perhaps some tasters have a more sensitive sniffer than do we...But we found this wine to be excellent and complex.
$269.99.

Allimant Laugner is a favorite winery in northern Alsace making wines consumers can easily afford.
Their 2022 Pinot Noir is a light red with cherryish notes...a chillable red in warm weather.
$19.99

Sicily is home to the Nero d'Avola grape and this one from the Feudi del Pisciotto winery is a winner!
Dark fruit aromas and flavors are seasoned with a hint of oak, making this a mildly complex rendition.
$27.99.

We greatly enjoyed the 2016 Adamvs Cabernet...the 2019 is another hit.
It's from a small estate in the Howell Mountain appellation.  Entirely Cabernet Sauvignon...matured in French oak with more than half
the cooperage being brand new.
Sale price is $139.99 and it's drinkable now, though can easily be cellared another ten+ years.

This new bottling of Austrian Grüner Veltliner is remarkably good and it's well-priced at $14.99 for a liter bottle.
You'll find some citrusy aromas and a touch of the grapefruit 'spice' to this dry white.

We greatly enjoyed this Austrian Grüner Veltliner from Markus Huber.

The winery is in the Traisental region, some 33 miles northwest of Vienna.
We understood Markus to say it has 8 months of skin contact, though perhaps he meant 8 months on the spent yeast..
The aromas are amazingly intense with floral notes...and it's zesty and crisp on the palate.
Sale price is $39.99

A new vintage of Albert Boxler's Edelzwicker, a terrific Alsatian blend, is a showy dry white...
Each vintage is uniquely different in terms of the percentages of various varieties...
Nicely aromatic!
$28.99

We visited this domaine in 2016, having appreciated their various Chablis wines.
Denis and Isabelle Pommier have a new importer in the Bay Area and we're delighted to have them back in the shop.
$35.99 for 750mls and half-bottles are $26.99.
Beautifully capturing the flinty, minerally notes we expect in good Chablis.

The Robledo family offers a creamy, dry Chardonnay at a new price...
It's $31 at the winery, but this is now specially-priced at just $22.99.
Sonoma County fruit.

The 2022 vintage in Beaujolais was a warm one and Colette's Fleurie is impressively intense.
Unusually dark color and with exception red berry fragrances and flavors...dry...no oak...dark cherry and blackberry fruit.
$21.99

La Rioja Alta's new bottling of Viña Arana is amazingly good.
The fragrances burst from the glass as you'll find red fruits and cedary oak.
Spectacularly good.
$54.99

We found this French Rhône red to be rather charming.
It's from a grower's co-op winery and they vinify and bottle a number of wines from various appellations, this one coming from the southeastern area of Ventoux.
This is a medium+ bodied red with lots of dark berry notes, being 51% Syrah, 31% Grenache and 18% Carignane.
And it's well-priced: just $15.99!

Handley's Chardonnay is a far cry from the big, flashy, oaky, buttery Chardonnays we often taste.
Yet it's barrel-fermented with one-third of the wine undergoing a secondary, malolactic fermentation AND they stir the yeast sediment, but the wine is more akin to a snappy Chablis than a typical California Chardonnay.
Go figure...
Sale price is $24.99. 

The 2022 Terre Nere Etna Rosso just landed...$28.99 for a delicious, medium-bodied red from Sicily.
It's about the weight of a Pinot Noir and as gentle.



From the small family domaine of Michel Rebourgeon we have a really good White Burgundy from the 2021 harvest.
It's said to be from a small parcel near Pommard and Beaune.
Mildly toasty and dry, this goes for just $31.99 and you might mistake it for a more costly wine from a noble appellation.

Cascina Val del Prete's 2019 Roero with the Vigna di Lino designation is an excellent example of young Nebbiolo.
It's remarkably enjoyable in its youth and it gives young Barolo and Barbaresco wines a run for the money.
$44.99.

Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet for just $15.99?!!!
The label is in homage to Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Kesey and his Merry Pranksters had a place in La Honda.
It's a medium-bodied red, worth every penny of its price-tag.
But please don't expect a wine as majestic as Santa Cruz Mtns Cabernets such as Ridge Monte Bello
or Mount Eden.

Stephen Ross is somewhat of a benchmark for Edna Valley Chardonnay.
It's from a cool site that's located about 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The 2022 growing season was dry and not especially hot, allowing for a Chardonnay that's below 14% alcohol.
Barrel-fermented with full malolactic fermentation, lees stirring, yada yada, yada...
The main point being this is damned good and it's sale-priced at $27.99.





Ugo Lequio is a small producer whose wines are well-known to fans of Barbaresco, but they're well below the radar of most wine drinkers.
The fruit comes from the famed Gallina vineyard area and the wine is a good, traditionally-made Nebbiolo.
The 2019 is excellent and it's showing handsomely right now, though a few years of bottle aging will allow it to reach its potential.

One of our favorite Chinon wines has returned...Beausejour!
Made entirely of Cabernet Franc.  Classic Chinon.  Light to medium-bodied.
No oak.  A smoother red.
$19.99

Krohn's 1982 Colheita is a Tawny Port which spent more than 30 years in wood before bottling.
It's a delicious bottle, perfect for pairing with cheese or dessert after a meal.
$79.99.

Made entirely of Aglianico, "Elio" is a special bottling the Sepe brothers make to honor their father.
It's a barrel-aged Aglianico with dark fruit aromas and a mildly woodsy tone from French oak cooperage.
We've had this for a few months now and people routinely come back asking for more.
$31.99.

From a small domaine in between Reims and Epernay in the town of Chigny-Les-Roses, this is a bone dry Champagne
that's predominantly Pinot Meunier with 25% Pinot Noir and 17% Chardonnay.
$64.99

Here's a delightful, classic rendition of the obscure Piemontese wine made of the Ruchè grape.
We've often had a Ruchè wine in the shop and this one captures the classic floral fragrances reminiscent of rose petals.
It's a medium-bodied red, smooth, dry and without oak.
$22.99

We are rarely excited by the Sylvaner grape in France's Alsace, but this remarkable bottling from the Schoech winery in Kaysersberg is unusually aromatic and far more flavorful than the normal, somewhat anonymous versions we've tasted.
Dry and beautifully fragrant...Just $19.99!

The 2014 vintage of the old-school Vallana winery in Alto Piemonte arrived this week.
It's a good bottle to explore if you want to try a traditionally-made Nebbiolo from Italy.
$49.99

The 2016 vintage of Trimbach's deluxe "Frédéric Emile" Riesling is exceptional and we took in a few more bottles.
Notes of petrol and lime are immediately apparent, along with snappy acidity giving it a dry finish.
$94.99.

The Grosjean family makes a couple of white wines from the Petite Arvine grape, a variety said to be of Swiss origins.
It's a faintly citrusy, stony dry white which is great as a cocktail wine, though it pairs well with light seafood dishes.
$31.99 

Showing well in its youth, the 2019 Barbaresco from Castello di Neive offers good quality at a most sensible price.
It's available presently in our Tasting Room if you'd like to have a sip.
$4/taste
Sale priced at $39.99/bottle.

This dry Sherry from Spain's Jerez region is labeled as a 15 year old wine.
It's remarkably intense and delicious paired with salty starters such as olives stuffed with anchovies...
$25.99 for a 375ml bottle.

Some bottles of the 2019 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet are now in stock...
Sale price is $200.
Yes, that may seem like an exorbitant price, but remember Dunn has 40+ years of history making top Napa Cabernet.
There are many newcomers asking $300-$500+ for brand new labels that have no established track record, merely a celebrity winemaker and a numerical point score from an expert who's capable of rating the wine based more on its price than its actual quality.

The 2021 Fenocchio Barbera d'Alba is a great follow-up to the excellent 2020 bottling.
In fact, it may be even better!
Dark in color and beautifully aromatic with blackberry fruit notes...it's dry and smooth, a perfect partner for pizza, sausages, tomato-sauced pastas, pork, red meats, etc.
$25.99

If you're having a Fondue party, you might consider this terrific dry white from vineyards on Lake Geneva near the town of Evian-Les-Bains.
It's less costly than most Swiss wines made of the Chasselas grape...$16.99.
No oak...dry...

Virna's 2019 "Noi" (we/us) Barolo is sale-priced at $39.99...it's showing well presently and can be cellared for well more than a decade.

We had this as our top choice in a blind-tasting earlier in November...2014 vintage Semillon from Brokenwood.
This is a good choice for the holiday feast.  Sale price is $49.99.
Low alcohol, high acid...toasty and bone dry Australian Semillon from a prestigious winery.

Vintner Matthew Towers is enamored with Pinot Noir and this 2021 bottling from Mendocino is the second we've had in the shop...delicious cherryish fruit and nicely oaked.  It's a tiny production wine...maybe 200 cases.
We have this sale-tagged at $39.99 (it's $48 at the winery).
It's now available presently for sampling in our Tasting Room.

Delille Cellars in Washington periodically makes a white wine we find to be delightfully intriguing.
Not every year, though...It's a Sauvignon/Semillon blend and the 2022 is a winner.
The nose is a bit shy presently, but the flavors are expressive and deep!
Sale price is $39.99 ($42 at the winery)...

 
We were fortunate to be able to bring in a scant few bottles of Le Gallais and Egon Müller Rieslings...
$89.99 for the Wiltinger Qba 2020 Riesling and $89.99 for the Scharzhof 2022 Riesling.
Both are babies.



We are smitten by this delicious Tuscan Sangiovese.
The Caparzo owners have two other wineries and blend grapes for this wine from Montalcino, Chianti Classico and the Maremma.
They've added 5% each of Canaiolo, Alicante and Petit Verdot...
It's a brilliant blend.
Young and berryish, this is remarkably good and well-priced.
Don't miss it.
By the way, we sent out an email touting this wine.  One couple stopped by to pick up a case and the next day sent a note saying they made a Ricotta/Fennel Sausage Pasta Sauce which paired beautifully with this wine.
"For us," she wrote, "it's a wine we can enjoy thanks to its versatility and its price."
$15.99.

We've long been fans of Colene Clemens wines...this is a special bottling called Margo and it's a 2021 vintage...
We like the classic Pinot fruit and there's ample sweet wood spices as well.
$44.99.

The small domaine of Anne & Marc Matthieu is located about 11 miles northeast of Ribeauville in the small village of Blienschwiller (maybe 300 residents).  We selected an outstanding 2019 Riesling from the Grand Cru site of Frankstein.
This is quite dry and beautifully fragrant with hints of the petrol aromas one finds in mature Riesling.
A few more bottles arrived this week, as the first shipment was well-received.
$34.99

The 2012 Salice Salentino from Cosimo Taurino arrived this week...Negroamaro is the grape, with a small percentage of Malvasia Nera.
Aged in oak and then given substantial bottle aging, here's a 10+ year old red for just $19.99.
Well worth trying...

Xavier Gerard...a newish domaine in France's Rhône Valley.
The 2020 Côte-Rôtie is already showing beautifully and it will continue to develop over the next 10 to 15 years+.
$84.99.
Impressive!

What a lovely rendition of Gamay Noir!
Joy Fantastic is a 2022 vintage from the Santa Rita Hills area of Santa Barbara.
$39.99.






The 2012 Henriot Champagne is a winner...beautifully toasty from being 8+ years en tirage (on the spent yeast in the bottle).
It's quite dry and remarkably complex.
We enjoyed a bottle at the Wakuriya restaurant in San Mateo with their amazing prix-fixed menu (and we had a few other bottles for this remarkable feast!).
Sale price is $109.99.

The 2020 vintage of Luciano Sandrone's Barbera d'Alba is a delight as it's full-bodied and displaying lots of dark plum and blackberryish fruit.
$46.99.
It's a versatile red, so pairing it with roasted chicken, tomato-sauced dishes or red meats is ideal.
They lavish as much care on this as they do their $150+ bottles of Barolo.

The 2018 Izadi Rioja Reserva won a recent blind-tasting and it's just $21.99/bottle.
We're offering it in the Tasting Room presently.
Nicely balanced and ready to drink.

The Dehlinger family does not rush its wines to market...they're just releasing an elegant 2022 vintage Chardonnay.
Barrel fermented and this spends about a year on the spent yeast...mildly toasted with a touch of green apple fruit and pineapple spice notes.
$47.99.

We've often been delighted with Caggiano's minerally Fiano, a beautifully elegant, crisp, dry white from Italy's Campania region.
The 2022 is now in stock...$27.99.
Nice to see customers return to purchase multiple bottles of this after enjoying their first one.

Don't miss the sale pricing on the Vajra 2018 Barolo "Albe," a blend of several vineyard sites.
Give this an hour of aeration in a decanter...
It's typically $45-$50 but want to introduce Barolo and, specifically Vajra Barolo, to customers so it's currently sale-tagged at just $39.99.

An old friend has returned after maybe a 15 vintage absence!
Isabel was one of the early wineries coming to us from the then-new wine region of Marlborough in New Zealand.
The 2021 vintage of Sauvignon Blanc is delicious...and it's well-priced at $19.99.
We have some bottles of their Pinot Noir...also quite good...$28.99.

While Ridge Vineyards is highly regarded for its red wines, they also make a couple of darned good whites.
The Estate Chardonnay comes from the Santa Cruz Mountains and it's one of our favorite California Chardonnays.
$69.99

A few wines from Trediberri arrived recently...this is a good winery in La Morra...
The exuberant 2022 Nebbiolo is $29.99...we also have a terrific Barbera ($25.99) and a couple of Barolo bottlings.

A good, chillable Beaujolais for warm-weather drinking is the newly-arrived bottling from the Gauthier family.
$18.99

2011 Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese! 
It's moderately sweet and is a remarkably youthful Mosel Riesling...
Perfect with summer fruits over vanilla ice cream.
We had a bottle with some Dim Sum last week...the chili oil restrained the sweetness nicely.
Sale price is just $39.99!

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The 2022 vintage of Moscato d'Asti from Emilio Vada is a delight...you can damned near taste the fresh Muscat grapes in this wine.
It's low in alcohol, making it a nice patio white in the warm weather, but it's also delicious paired with summer fruits.
$19.99


South Africa's benchmark Chardonnay is back!
The 2021 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay tilts towards Burgundian winemaking.
$46.99

The 2022 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc is an outstanding bottle.
$19.99.
Dry, fresh, appley and no oak...It tastes like Spring!

Mullineaux's Old Vines white is an interesting blend based on Chenin Blanc.
But it has Clairette, Viognier, Semillon, Grenache Blanc and some Verdelho, too.
$31.99

Here's a delightful "declassified" Riesling from the esteemed Wegeler stables.
Nicely aged and showing hints of the petrol fragrances of mature or maturing Riesling...it has a touch of sweetness, but plenty of
acidity to balance.
$29.99.

Winemaker Peter Heitz does a great job with Chenin Blanc...Napa Valley Chenin Blanc at that! 
Dry and offering lots of apple and pear-like fruit.  $29.99.
His Cabernet comes from Calistoga and the 2019 is delicious!
$64.99 for that.

A young fellow named Julien Dreveton is cultivating some 40 year old Syrah vineyards for his Domaine des Louis wines...both his grandfathers were named Louis, by the way...
It's a dark-colored wine with black fruit aromas...we expect it will develop handsomely with a few years of bottle aging, but it's terrific right now, especially if you can decant it an hour ahead of dinner.
$34.99

A few bottles of two different Peter Michael Chardonnays arrived recently.
These rarities go for $130/bottle.

Had this as one of my top two wines in a blind-tasting of well-priced California Pinot Noirs.
This is a delight and it's specially priced at just $24.99.
Don't miss it.



The dollar usually goes farther in Washington State than in California's Napa Valley.
Kiona Vineyards and Winery mostly sells grapes to neighboring wineries, but they make a smallish quantity for their own label.
Nicely oaked and with classic dark Cabernet fruit...$26.99.

The new vintage of this remarkable French white just arrived...it's from the Delaille brothers' winery in the Loire Valley.
Cheverny is based on Sauvignon Blanc, but unlike Sancerre, it can have a small percentage of Chardonnay to give the wine a bit of texture on the palate.  You certainly don't detect this on the nose.
$19.99.

Prisma Sauvignon Blanc comes from Chile's Casablanca area.  It's a blend of two vineyard sites and it's remarkably showy and aromatic.
There's an exotic fragrance, reminiscent of citrus and passion-fruit.
It's only $13.99!





Silvio Jermann was one of the first winemakers in Italy making world-class white wines.
In an era where most Italian whites were rustic or oxidized, this fellow produced polished, flavorful bottles.
The 2024 Pinot Grigio is a far cry from the thin, watery wines were regularly are presented, dressed up as premium Pinot Grigio.
They gave the juice a short bit of skin contact, resulting in a bit more intensity.
Specially priced at $24.99.

From Italy's Alto Adige region we were thrilled to taste a benchmark bottling of the Müller-Thurgau grape from the Tiefenbrunner winery.
It's called Feldmarschall Von Fenner, named after an heroic Austrian warrior who defended what's now the Alto Adige (or Südtirol) in several battles.  This is grown at a high elevation site in somewhat salty soils, which winemaker Christof Tiefenbrunner credits with intensifying the fruit and herb notes.  It's very expensive for Müller-Thurgau, but when you taste this it's not so much the grape but the vineyard.
$64.99

From the Domaine Laboureau we found a terrific White Burgundy from the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation, a somewhat overlooked region where consumers don't have to pay for a prestigious name.  The wine rivals far more costly bottlings.
Nicely toasty with a touch of a smoky element...$49.99.

The Falvo family owned Tuscany's Avignonesi winery in Montepulciano some decades ago.
They now run the Masseria Li Veli winery in Puglia and make some surprisingly elegant and charming wines.
The Susumaniello grape is a rarity as there were but 13 hectares in 2006.  Today there are 400 hectares being cultivated in and around Salento.
The Li Veli bottling is medium bodied, showing an array of red fruits with mild tannins.
$26.99...delicious!

Here's an obscure, fizzy red.  If you're a fan of good Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna, here's a southern Italian vino frizzante from the coast of Campania.  It's from a region just a few miles south of Pompei in the town of Gragnano and it's made mostly of Piedirosso with Aglianico and a bit of Sciacinoso.  Mildly fizzy and dry, it's a great red to pair with pizza.
$19.99




We've been fans of this Napa Valley "trophy" and it easily compares to the top "cult Cabernets" found on many restaurant wine lists.
Production is small and the price is high...but less than $300 anyway.

One of our favorite Champagnes is that of Pierre Moncuit, a small family enterprise in the "Grand Cru" town of Le Mesnil where Chardonnay is king.
Bone dry as they cater to a discriminating connoisseur, not the mass-market palate aimed at by the largest Champagne wineries.
It's entirely Chardonnay, mildly toasty and quite dry, this batch being "Extra Brut."
Sale price is $54.99.

The Von Winning team is clearly appreciative of top French Champagne and their Extra Brut, made entirely of Riesling has some Champagne-like toasty notes with the aromatics and flavors of Riesling.
This is an Extra Brut bottling...bone dry.
$29.99!

Smith Woodhouse is a famous producer of Late-Bottled Vintage Port. 
While the expensive Vintage Ports now hit the market for $100+ a bottle upon release, Smith Woodhouse matures this for 4 years in vats and bottles it without filtration as is common for Vintage Ports.
But then they give it ample bottle aging and release it when it's in its early stages of drinkability.
Most Late Bottled Vintage Port is filtered and this robs the wine of a measure of character and its ability to develop with bottle aging.
If you'd like to experience a really good Port this holiday season and don't mind not spending $100-$300/bottle, come grab a bottle of this.
Sale price is $39.99.
It's best to stand the bottle upright to allow the sediment to settle and then decant it.

A spendy Etna Bianco, but we felt this wine is actually worthy of its $59.99 price tag.
Primarily Carricante with some Minnella...it's a remarkably soulful, dry white which tips its cap in the direction
of Burgundy (in our view).
It sees a bit of aging in tonneaux, large, seasoned wood barrels.
Special.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME PREVIOUS
SELECTIONS
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From the December 29th "The Daily Journal" in 2023



A Weimax shopper and parent of a Roosevelt Elementary School student sent us a screenshot of an online
"Teddy Talk" where a student was explaining the importance of supporting community businesses and "shopping local."

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From the local paper at the end of 2021...CLICK HERE to read that story.

Ellen had her picture on the front page of the New Year's weekend Daily Journal, a local newspaper here in San Mateo County.

They did a story about holiday sales of wines and liquors, so we were mentioned (and quoted) in that.


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The store is fully stocked...lots of good value bottlings and numerous "fancy" wines, too.

Stop by and we can give you a little tour...

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It IS A Pathetic Red!

Happy Halloween!

A Coat-de-Bouteille!

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This car is "corked"!!!

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GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE...


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Had a nice mention in the Wall Street Journal's 2016 story about wine store signage:
CLICK HERE

The Most recent mention, September of 2017, is this one...Things Wine Shop Owners Detest...
CLICK HERE

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Australian Wine Writer Jim McMahon wrote a nice article published on the web site of the New South Wales Teachers Federation.
CLICK HERE

Wine Tasting Today

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